Tails of Talaassa
by Red16Rose
Summary: After traveling into Tamriel with her family, they stumble upon an imperial ambush. Managing to make it out alive, she finds herself a prisoner and fixing to being executed at a headsmans block until a black creature of legend attacked. Managing to escape, she finds herself in predicaments after another. Can Talaassa survive this war ravaged place? Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skyrim! (I wish) This story may or may not follow the story line since it is a work in progress. another disclaimer, Talaassa and her family aren't your normal Khajiits that are shown in skyrim. Not gonna lie, I found a mod someone made a bit ago and I really liked the look.**

The clattering and thumping of wooden wheels upon the bumpy dirt road, the laughter and talking of the Khajiits following the three carriages in the caravan traveling along the Skyrim border. The group was particularly odd, most being of the Cathay species but there was a few that were different, not having the normal cat like appearance most known to others in Skyrim. No, this small group was different. Two adults walked close together, one having a dark furred body covered in leather amour. He had a rigged dagger at his side, his slitted eyes always watching their surroundings. He had a rather human mouth but with a button cat nose and high check bones. From his appearance it could be conveyed he was a Tojay-Raht, a race that typically kept to their homeland of Elsweyr. The woman next to him was rather fair with no hair to her body besides upon her tall ears and bushy grey spotted tail. Her human like face was rather off putting to any unknowing person. They would probably think she was a half-breed. But she is known as a Tojay, one of the few without fur to keep them warm during cold nights. The pair walked closely together, suggesting they were a couple. The Tojay-Raht turned his head back to look at another pair walking a bit behind them who had a similar appearance.

"Khomar! Talaassa! Keep up with This one! Do not fall behind." He shouted, watching both his children jump at being called out.

Both the young Khajiits looked close to their father, fur covering most of their bodies. And yes, both seemed to have a hairless face that seemed to travel to their necks, most likely meaning most of their front torso was also furless. The girl had fierce green eyes and long dark hair that curled at the ends. Her bother had his hair cut short and neat, unlike his father who let his grow out.

"Shall we go then, sister Talaassa? He purred out, his eyes full of mischief.

Talaassa's eyes flashed and grinned, flashing off her sharp canines. "This one would be delighted Khomar." She responded in earnest, wanting to know what he had in mind.

Khomar's eyes lit up. "Great!" He laughed before he took off in run.

"Hey! Khomar that isn't fair!" Talaassa shouted before taking off after him in a sprint. She couldn't help but laugh as she followed close behind.

Their father sighed and shook his head. "Those kits need to be more careful."

"Oh Kar'dargo, let them play while they still can. It be good to get it out of their system now." His spouse purred as she touched her hand to his arm. She smiled brightly before watching her children go.

Khomar looked back at his sister as she followed. He laughed and turned back around and kept going. Talaassa huffed, her stamina for running wasn't the greatest when it came to chase her brother. After a few moments she stopped running and leaned over, putting her hands on her knees, already out of breath. One day, she would best him at speed. She looked up and noticed he had stopped as well. For a moment she thought he was pitying her for her lack of speed, that was until the smell of blood seemed to waft down at her along the path. She watched in horror as her brother crumbled to the ground, an arrow protruding from his chest. His head rolled to the side lifeless. In her frozen state she didn't realize she had screamed his name until she was forced back into reality. A sudden set of screams from behind her caught her off guard, her head wiping around to find another horrific sight. Imperial soldiers were attacking their caravan, cutting down woman and children without a second thought. What was going on? One second it was peaceful and now… her family was being slaughtered! What did they do wrong!?

Her mother and father had managed to gather in a circle with a few other Khajiits and were trying their hardest to keep them at bay. Her father could barely stay on his feet with only a dagger in his hands. It was nothing compared to the steel swords crashing down around him. Talaassa needed to do something, she couldn't stand by and watch her kin get slaughtered like her brother was. It was like a small switch had been flicked inside her. A roaring rage came forth from inside her like nothing she had felt before. Her eyes went bright and went to slits. It was like she was watching from inside and a daemon had taken over her. She watched herself leap into battle when she had gotten closer and started to tear at a soldier who had a Khajiit pinned to the ground. She screeched as she wracked her claws across a soldier's throat, watching him bleed out with glee. She could careless if blood coated her face and clothes, she would make these men pay with their lives. She hissed and jumped to another.

"You shall not hurt this one's kin again!" She roared as she swung her fists, hearing bones crack when she landed a hit against a soldier's side. She proceeded to jump on him after he had fallen to the ground and wrapped her hands around his neck. She grinned wickedly, her pupils all but gone in the adrenaline rush. Lost in her blood lust she didn't see a soldier come up behind her and hit her over the head with the hilt of his sword. The last thing she was the man below her gasp for breath before she collapsed.

Talaassa came too feeling motion and a huge pain in the back of her head. She groaned as she sat up. It took her a moment to focus from the pain pulsing beneath her skull. She winced and tried to place her hands on her face, finding them tied together tightly. Her eyes widened as she looked around finally, finding herself in the bag of a carriage with three other men.

"Hey you, you're finally awake. Were you trying to cross the border and walked into an imperial ambush, right? A blonde Nord in a blue soldier uniform asked her.

She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "No, this one and her kin were just traveling to another city. We but wanderers." She cleared her throat. Her attention was pulled back in when another spoke up.

"Damn you Stormcloaks! Skyrim was just fine until you came along!" It was the one sitting diagonal from her. The man wore rags and smelled of dirt and grim. "The Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking you, I could have been half way to Hammerfell.

Talaassa was half listening, she was wondering how the hell she ended up here. She bit her lip for a moment to try and think. She clenched her eyes shut tightly as a wave of pain washed over her. It brought with it a flood of memories making her eyes water. She remembered now. Her brother was killed followed by the rest of her kin. She remembered going berserk and attacking the soldiers and then it went black. Now she was here, tired up with other prisoners. She forced herself to hold back the tears that threatened to burst.

"So what's wrong with him?" The man diagonal from her spoke up again, gesturing to the man in front of him.

The blonde turned sharply towards him. "Hold your tongue! You are speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King!" He snapped

The Thief seemed taken aback by the information and looked between the two. "Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm?" He turned to the man named Ulfric. "You're the leader of the rebellion. If they've captured you then… Oh god's! Where are they taking us?" He started to sound hysterical.

The blonde Nord only shook his head and looked away from him. "I don't know where we're going but Sovngarde awaits." Was all he could say.

"No, this can't be happening, this isn't happening!"

Talaassa stared at the thief in pity. She herself didn't mind the thought of death. As long as she could see her family again, it didn't matter to her.

"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?" The blonde Nord asked.

"why do you care?" The horse thief retorted as he slumped over in defeat.

"A Nords last thoughts should be of home."

It took a moment for him to respond. "Rorikstead… I'm from Rorikstead."

By the time they both grew quiet they were growing closer to stone walls. From what Talaassa could see, it was a city. Her ears flattened as they grew closer, seeing more Imperial soldiers watching as the group came in.

"General Tulius! The headsmen is waiting!" A soldier shouted as the wagons passed through the stone entryway and made its way to a courtyard. Talaassa leaned forward to get a closer look at the scene before her. She spotted a large man with a large weapon and a block next to him. She felt her blood go cold.

Why are we stopping?" The horse thief asked as he looked around nervously.

"Why do you think? End of the line. The Nord spoke calmly, like he had already accepted his fate

Wait! We're not rebels!" The horse thief cried out in desperation.

"Face your death with some courage, thief." The Nord told him, holding his head high.

"Step towards the black when we call your name, one at a time!" yelled an imperial officer as everyone was ushered off the wagons and into a line.

Talaassa didn't pay much attention to the names that were called, well that was until the thief had the bright idea to try and run for it. He didn't get far when he was shot down with an arrow.

"Anyone else feel like running?" Barked an officer.

The young imperial before her paused when he looked at her. "Wait." He spoke, "who are you?" He asked.

Talaassa looked around her just in case he was talking to someone else and not her. She cleared her throat. "Her name is Talaassa. She was with caravan when you attacked her kin. You slaughtered them in cold blood! She will not forgive you!" She snarled, baring her canines. The Imperial was taken a back by her ferocity. He looked to the other.

"She's not on the list, what should we do?" He asked.

"Screw the list, she goes to the block."

He looked back to Talaassa, sympathy in his gaze. "We will return your remains to Elsweyr."

She wasn't sure what to make of his expression. It was like he felt remorse for what was about to transpire. She looked at him curiously as she was led to the rest of the prisoners. They had a woman standing almost center, trying to give a speak or something. She was interrupted by a Stormcloak who was impatient. He strolled over to the black and leaned his head down before it was ruthlessly chopped off. It fell into the basket in front of it.

While she watched the gruesome display, a distant roar swept over the people. Some looked to the sky for the source.  
"What was that?" Asked someone behind her.

"Its nothing. Next! The cat!" Shouted the Imperial woman.

Talaassa was reluctant to move from her spot but she was pushed along. The next thing she knew was forced upon her knees, and her neck rested up on the block. She felt her stomach surge when she looked into the basket to see the mans head, his lifeless eyes staring back at her. She forced herself to look at the executioner instead. The moment he was fixing to swing down, something black flew across the sky before landing upon the castle. Its red eyes looked down at everyone.

"What in oblivion is that!? Shouted someone."

The creature didn't wait for any response. Instead it reared its head back and let out a roar. The ground shook beneath her and the force caused her to fall off the cop block.

The next thing you know there was absolute chaos all around her. People were screaming, and buildings were crumbling as the beast destroyed them in its wake. She forced herself to stand up as she followed the creature with her eyes. It swooped down and snatched an Imperial from a wall and tossed him several feet in the air. Balls of fire were literally raining down from the sky as she stood there. It took her a second before she came to her senses. She had to escape as fast as she could. She started to run, hoping her legs wouldn't collapse underneath her at that very moment as the creature swooped right over her head. She spotted an open gate and she took off. She didn't care if it came for her or not. Maybe it would make her life easier to pick her up and toss her over the gate. She'd land in a tree and hopefully not impale herself.

What felt like eternity, she found herself outside the castle walls and on a stone path. She couldn't stop for even a second, afraid it would follow her. So she kept running.

Finally she dropped to the ground when she felt she was a safe distance away. She panted as she leaned up against a tree, trying to catch her breath. She slid to the ground and felt a rush of sadness course through. She couldn't stop the tears from finding their escape. So she let the come.

After a few minutes of crying relentlessly, she stood up and started to walk again. She stared at her hands, wondering how she was going to be able to get these binds off of her. She also wondered how the hell she was going to make it on her own now. She sighed, her ears flattening. The sound of rushing water made her ears perk up. Usually with water, there was food. Maybe some fish too… Talaassa's stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten in a few hours. She picked up her pace and found a river. She eyed it with caution, not being very fond of water that moved quickly. But when she saw salmon jumping up from the water she eagerly moved closer. Even with her hands tied she was still able to catch a few fish and quickly ate them.

When she ate her fill she dipped her hands into the water to clean them on any blood. A noise behind her forced her into a defensive crouch. She turned her head and stared around. She didn't see anything but it was giving her chills up her spine. Another sound made her jump and take a step back. A big mistake. The pull of the water tore her foot from under her and she tumbled to the side and into the rushing water. Talaassa kept trying to force her head above the water but it was almost impossible. She sputtered as she was forced further down the rushing river. She used her tied arms to try and swim to the side. A loud noise brought her back to her grave situation. The water was pushing her towards a large waterfall and she imagined the drop wasn't going to be pleasant. It pulled her along as she failed to stop her decent. Next thing she knew was falling over, the water forcing her down as she landed into the water below.

Talaassa gasped as she woke, spitting up water as she regained consciousness. She took deep breathes of air, keeping her eyes closed. She was exhausted from everything she went through. The sound of footsteps drawing closer weren't even worth her attention right now. She just laid there wanting to sleep and wake to find it was all a bad dream.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here?" A male voice spoke.

She winced feeling a hand grab a fist full of hair and pull her head up so he could get a better look.

"A strange Khajiit. I wonder what _marvelous_ experiments I could do to this one." He laughed loudly.

Talaassa opened her eyes a little to stare up at this strange man before blacking out in exhaustion.

 **This was the first chapter! Let me know what you think! I would really love to hear feedback if possible! I will try and post the chapters on a weekly basis with winter break right around the corner.**


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Talaassa woke to an unbearable dry mouth and being cold to her very core. She tried to move but found her muscles were stiff and the sound metal against metal brought her to a realization. She raised her head up from his awkward position, her cat eyes easily getting used to the dim lights. She found herself in a dungeon. She was in a cage, chained to the cold stone wall and half naked. She shivered as she looked around her through the cages bars, finding the place she was in was more like a torture chamber then a dungeon for prisoners. There was a strange wood table with straps and a crank below. She turned her head and saw a few other cages that were pretty empty except for an Argonian. She couldn't tell if they were alive or not. She pushed with her sore legs to relieve the pull on her already raw wrists. She winced at the effort as she felt her joins pop loudly. She looked down at herself in a grimace. Her skin and fur was filthy, covered in grim. She had a few scratches and bruises on her from her tumble down the waterfall. Talaassa cleared her throat and braved to speak.

"H-hello?" She croaked out, her throat dry like sandpaper. She cleared her throat and tried to pull at the cuffs around her wrists. She needed to get out of these bonds, too afraid to see who had taken her prisoner this time.

The echo of footsteps resonated around the room as some approached the metal door that led out of the torture-dungeon. The sound of keys could be heard before the door swung open with ease. A man dressed in black robes came inside, a hood covering his eyes. He was different then the first man she had seen. He was broad shouldered and carried a sword at his waist. He stopped when he reached her cage door.

"Finally awake I see." He spoke, his voice thick with an accent she didn't know.

"W-where is she?" She asked him, trying to keep her fear from showing in her words.

The man looked confused for a moment before realization came over his face. "That's right, you Khajiit speak in Third-person." He nodded to himself before pulling down the hood on his head. "You are in our hold, a slave to suffer countless torture of all kinds." He didn't feel the need to sugar coat anything he said, knowing she would find out soon enough what will happen to her.

If she could go paler, she sure as hell did. "…why? She just wants to go home…please let this one go." Her voice was nearly a whisper as she slumped down submissively.

The man just stared at her before bursting into dark laughter. "I'm sorry but, we won't be letting you go. No, you are useful to our head mage. He wants to test a few new spells on you. And maybe if you live through them, we will put you out of your misery." He opened the cage with a brass key and stepped inside. "Now, I am here to make you healthy for your first ordeal. So be a nice kitty and drink up." He pulled out a red bottle and popped off the cork. He grabbed her chin before forcing her mouth open and pouring the liquid into her maw. When he shut her mouth and heard her swallow did he let go and step back.

For Talaassa it was like an automatic affect. Her body grew warm and the raw skin on her wrists healed over and her bruises seemed to vanish almost immediately. She couldn't help but sigh in relief and close her eyes at the feeling.

"Is that better kitten?" The man asked her. She nodded her head, not opening her eyes to look at him or at what he was doing, forgetting that she was in fact in a dungeon. The sound of shuffling robes brought her back to her senses just as she felt something lash across her abdomen. She shrieked in pain, writhing and pulling at the chains holding her in place. He had a whip in his hand with three tails with iron balls at the ends. He wore a sadistic grin upon his face as he juggled the whip in his hands. "Oh man, your screams give me chills. Such a sensation…" He licked his lips before pulling arm back and doing again, forcing her to cry out in pain.

It felt like hours of him tormenting her over and over again until her finally stopped. Talaassa's head hung low, her body quivering and limp. She was covered in dark, near black, bruises. In some places he had hit her so hard the broke the skin, coating her fur in red.

"Awwww is the kitten done already? Did I beat her into submission already?" He mocked as he stared at her beaten and bruised body.

He had broken her body, but her spirit was still on fire. She forced her face up and despite the still streaming tears, she glared at him, flattening her ears. "W-when she get's out of here… She is going to enjoy making your life a living hell!" She spat at him.

"Now that, is what I like to hear! My friends will be so happy to hear you haven't broken on your first day!" He laughed loudly before stepping out of her cage. "To you alive, I'll send someone to nurse those cuts you have." He kept the cage door open as he exited the dungeon, the door slamming behind him.

When she knew he was gone and slumped back down, letting herself a moment of solace. She kept her sobs soft, hoping they wouldn't hear her. After a few moments, she heard footsteps and the door open again. She was expecting to see the same man but was surprised when it was older mage. He was nearly hunched over as he came into the dungeon with a bucket of steaming water. From the looks of it, it took him quite a bit to carry it by himself as he entered her cage.

She growled and hiss at him as he stopped short of her. "Oh hush it now lass. You'll only wear out your voice more." The old man croaked out as he pulled out some clean cloth from his robes. "I am only here to help you."

"Talaassa don't need help from the like of you!" She shouted. She received a sigh in response as he plunged the rage into the bucket, before bringing one up. It dripped with hot water as he squeezed it out.

"If I don't, they will beat me if I let you die so soon. Being trapped in here will caught an infection to build and trust me, you don't want that." He told her as he stepped over and started cleaning off the blood from the cuts and broken skin.

She hissed in pain and discomfort at the rough texture of the rag going over her sensitive skin. She looked up at her already raw wrists, seeing fresh blood run lightly down her arm. She growled to herself, hating herself and the people here. "She should have let that beast kill her…better off dead…" She mumbled to herself before looking to the stone floor that was splattered with droplets of her blood and clumps of fur.

"what was that?" The old man looked up at her face in confusion. "Why would you want to waste your young life like that?" He paused before looking down at the bucket. "It may be better then this but, you can probably escape from here." He sighed before dipping the rag back into the bucket. "unlike me, who will probably die in this rat hole."

"Why does she have better chance then you? You walk free, she…she is chained to a wall!" She spat barring her teeth.

What surprised her more was the fact he began to laugh. He stood up from his spot on the floor and looked at her. "Because, even if I have just met you, I feel this inexplicit desire to help you get free, to get out of this place." He told her, a twinkle in his dark eyes.

She looked at him curiously and with caution. "What's the catch?" She asked him, feeling like there would be one.

"ah yes…" He paused before clearing his throat. "You would have to go through the torture, every day. And everyday when I come and clean your wounds, I will teach you some of the spells I know. We won't start today but, I will give you a bit of a reprieve." He held out his hands. He closed his eyes and a swirling golden glow emanated from his palms. Talaassa watched in awe as it seemed to surround her body, coating her in a warm blanket that seemed to suck away the pain and aches. Just like the potion from before, it healed her cuts and bruises. He put down his hands after the light faded away. "That should help, just know it won't be anymore pleasant tomorrow then today. You may even get a worse torture and I may not even get to heal some of your wounds with magicka" He sighed, looking more tired than he had before.

"…Thank you…" She whispered as he gathered the bucket and rags into his hands. He looked back at her and smiled at her. He didn't say anything as he walked out of the dungeon.

Just like he had promised, the next day after her daily dose of torture he came in with the same bucket of water filled with more warm water. Talaassa's skin was barred with burns from the last guy deciding it was a good idea to use "lightning therapy." She had sworn her heart had stopped a few times when she blacked out only to be brought back with more pain.

"What did they do this time?" He asked, looking at her streaked burns with pity in his eyes.

"Lightning…She can still feel it course through her… it hurts so much." She whimpered as she tensed up at the feeling of the dabs against her skin. She heard him curse to himself before pulling his hand back. "what is wrong?" She asked, rather wanting to sleep instead of bothering with this agreed upon routine.

"Its nothing. Just relax lass." He told her before going back to work. "I will try to convince them you aren't fighting back and hopefully get you off this wall."

She shivered a little, wanting nothing more then to hug herself to keep herself from getting colder. As she found out last night, the temperature dropped significantly low, like they left the back door open just to make her freeze. "That would be nice…"

The old man paused before looking to the door then pulled something from inside his robes. It was a worn book with a brown leather cover and a symbol on the cover. To her it looked like a flame. "I brought this from my things. It's a destruction spell tome. Its for a basic lightning spell. Once it is read by someone who doesn't know it, it is destroyed." He informed her, stroking the cover.

"Why bring this one this? You read." She told him, looking down at it in distaste.

He sighed before shaking his head. "I already know it. Now you on the other hand, I doubt you know this, do you? I brought it here for you to read. You will need to know more spells in order to make it out of here." He told her before opening the book to her.

"She doesn't…She can't read." She turned her face away from it.

"You don't have to read it, just look. Its not just filled with words, it has images in it. It will work the same way." He rolled his eyes. "If you want, not right now, I can help you learn to read." He inputted when she looked at the book.

It was like a flash the moment she even gazed at the page that contained symbols she couldn't read. In a moment it was gone and like magicka, she could see the spell in her mind, like a list was being made there. She audibly gasped and blinked a few times. "She knows it now! How?" She asked him leaning forward against her bonds, leading to sparks zig zag across the fur on her shoulders.

He chuckled as he stood up and reached out his hands again. "I don't know, that would be a question for the Mages at Winterhold College. Now hold still, I'll heal you just a bit. I do have to warn you, not to use any spells on them or they will find out I am helping you. Then they will just kill you and be done with it." He told her as the familiar feeling of warmth swept over her body for a moment.

"Even if it gets intense?" she asked him when he pulled his hands away.

"Especially then. I know you can control your self young one. You just need to try."

After that he left, leaving her to her thoughts.


End file.
